Poor weather conditions at the Miami Pro Day could help the players

Eric Oslund

03/31/2016

Plenty of players were able to put on a good performance at the Miami (Fl.) Pro Day, despite inclement weather. Those performances could end up boosting their draft stock in the eyes of teams such as the Minnesota Vikings, who have to play outdoors multiple times every season.

The Minnesota Vikings were one of the teams present at the University of Miami (Fla.) Pro Day, which was shrouded in a torrential downpour of rain, reportedly creating some of the worst conditions ever for a pro day. Despite the conditions, 13 players worked out and some were even able to put on great performances.

One of those players that the Vikings probably had some interest in was wide receiver Rashawn Scott. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound receiver was able to run the 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds on both attempts, despite the weather. He then recorded times of 4.29 seconds in the 20-yard short shuttle and 6.88 seconds in the three-cone drill. Scott also recorded a 33-inch vertical and 9-foot-8 broad jump.

The receiver was also able to have a good showing in the positional drills, despite the weather. That would be good news for the Vikings if they were to draft him because even though they are moving indoors this season, they still have to travel to Green Bay and Chicago every year.

Scott was a high school track star, which helps him look good running in shorts. Once you turn on his game type, though, it is a bit of a different story. He lacks the necessary discipline in his route running and had far too many drops throughout his career. He also had problems with injuries, missing the 2011 and 2014 seasons, and also missing multiple games during the other seasons with shoulder and collarbone injuries.

It is possible that Scott gets drafted in a later round, but there are too many red flags surrounding him for some teams to consider taking the chance.

Another player that the Vikings could have been interested in was cornerback Artie Burns. He measured in at 6-0, 189 pounds and decided to sit on the 4.46-second 40-yard dash time that he posted at the NFL Scouting Combine. He still ran every other drill, though, recording times of 4.30 seconds in the short shuttle and 6.88 seconds in the three-cone drill. Burns also posted a 33-inch vertical (an inch-and-a-half higher than the one he posted at the combine), a 10-foot-4 broad jump and seven reps of the 225-pound bench press.

Burns was also able to perform well in the positional drills, despite the poor conditions, which helped bolster his first-round projection. The cornerback is currently listed going No. 28 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs in one of the latest mock drafts on NFL.com, which means the Vikings would have to take him at No. 23 overall if they hoped to secure him.

That pick would surely shock everyone as cornerback is not a position of need and they just drafted a cornerback in the first round last year.

Safety Deon Bush is another intriguing player that the Vikings could end up selecting come draft day. At 6-0, 200 pounds, he possesses great size to play the position and also has good speed to match, which was shown by his 40-yard dash times of 4.55 and 4.52 seconds. He also posted a 31½-inch vertical and a 10-foot-3 broad jump. His agility still needs some work, though, as he posted a three-cone drill time of 6.91 seconds.

Bush’s play in the open field is one of the biggest concerns about him, as he often looks too stiff, and that time reinforced that assessment. Teams usually like to see a faster time for safeties and cornerbacks because they are asked to change direction so often when out on the field.

The Miami safety likely will be a middle to late-round pick since he is not quite ready to be a starter in the NFL. The things that could make him go earlier, though, are his size and he is a great special teams player. The Vikings still need some help at safety for the future and have always put an emphasis on special teams, so selecting a player like Bush makes a lot of sense.

Plenty of players were able to perform well at the Miami Pro Day, despite the unfavorable conditions. That should help improve their stock in the eyes of teams like the Vikings, who have to play outdoors for at least a couple of divisional matchups every season.